Indian decorated double barrel shotgun

[rollingb]

Double Barrel Percussion Shotgun with Indian Decorations, ca. 1850.

[Winter Hawk]

Interesting piece.  It looks like the stock and forearm, including the barrel, are encased in leather, with the stitching showing behind the trigger guard and at the butt.  Was this a common practice, or could it have been to repair damaged wood?

~WH~

[rollingb]

Good question Winter Hawk,.... and while rawhide was commonly used to "hold things together" when wedge-keys or pins were lost, I can understand the use of it on the shotgun's forearm.
The same thing can be said for using it to repair a cracked or broken wrist on the butt stock,... so it's confusing why the entire butt stock would be covered with it, even the butt plate area.  

[Lonewolfe20]

That is a beautiful gun

[Ohio Joe]

Curious on the rawhide full wrap of the butt stock myself, but I expect we will never know unless it's removed and I'm pretty sure that ain't 'a gonna happen. If it could only talk.